As a home-based business owner, you may feel you have to concentrate all of your marketing efforts on attracting new clients and prospects.

Once someone has bought from you, you may adopt the mindset that they know who you are and where to find you, so it's best to focus your attention on attracting new buyers.

Bringing in new clients and customers takes 16 times the effort it does to resell to a former client. It is much more costly and time consuming to sell to someone for the first time than it is to create an ongoing relationship with someone who has already bought from you.

This week I received a letter in the mail that was very timely, effective and welcomed.

In Northern Ontario, we have cold winters with heaps of snow and hazardous road conditions.

In order to cope with the icy roads, City crews dispense substantial amounts of road salt. This salt wreaks havoc on our vehicles and if they are not undercoated regularly, rust takes hold and decreases their lifespan dramatically.

Last week I had a fleeting thought that I should soon get my truck undercoated. As quickly as it came to mind, the thought vanished, as I was in the midst of yard work at the time.

This week, I received a letter from the dealer who undercoated my truck last year, offering a friendly reminder it was that time of year again. I was thrilled to receive this letter and appreciated their concern and effort in helping me keep my vehicle maintained.

The letter communicated the message that rust prevention would save me tons of money by extending the life of my vehicle and offered me a locked in, reduced price if I booked my appointment by a certain date.

They were using smart marketing!

By spending only pennies on a letter and 50 cents on a stamp, they brought me back for a second year. No previous undercoating company had ever done that before!

Within the letter they appealed to my desire to save money and protect my asset. They also moved me to action by offering a reduced price within a specific timeline.

This simple, inexpensive practice has a significant impact on generating continuous revenue.

Looking at your own business or practice, do you have prior clients or customers who would benefit by purchasing your product or service again?

As a coach, do you have a former client who achieved desired results and moved forward on her own? Might a friendly "Hello, how's it going?" be in order at this time? Clients are continuously growing, setting new goals and facing new challenges. Perhaps your support would be welcomed at this time.

As a provider of nutritional supplements or health care products, have you estimated the amount of time it takes for a customer to exhaust her supply? Might you have some customers who have not bought for six months or more? They may be well out of supplies, but procrastination gets the better of them and they never place the next order.

We all procrastinate over one thing or another and sometimes all we need is a gentle nudge to get us moving again. More often than not, your communications will be welcomed and your clients and customers will appreciate your concern.

Over the next few days, take a look at your list of previous buyers and reach out to them with an offer, a reminder, or a letter of appreciation for their patronage (with an announcement of your newest product).

You will be surprised at the positive response and effortless revenue you generate.